R Squared Ltd Takes Position in Aon plc $AON

R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Aon plc (NYSE:AON) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,099 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $748,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of AON by 12.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $491,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in AON by 9.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 11,258 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,016,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in AON by 12.5% during the second quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in AON by 9.0% during the second quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 3,352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,196,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Finally, Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its position in shares of AON by 9.8% in the second quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,797 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $641,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. 86.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AON

In other AON news, Director Lester B. Knight bought 4,000 shares of AON stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $319.24 per share, with a total value of $1,276,960.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 143,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,651,320. This trade represents a 2.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Darren Zeidel sold 5,040 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.79, for a total transaction of $1,641,981.60. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 20,254 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,598,550.66. This represents a 19.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

AON Stock Performance

NYSE AON opened at $330.09 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.03. Aon plc has a 52-week low of $304.59 and a 52-week high of $412.97. The company has a fifty day moving average of $339.57 and a 200-day moving average of $349.55.

AON (NYSE:AON) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.75 by $0.10. AON had a return on equity of 45.23% and a net margin of 21.51%.The firm had revenue of $4.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.42 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Aon plc will post 17.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AON Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 2nd were paid a $0.745 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 2nd. This represents a $2.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. AON’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $385.00 price objective on shares of AON in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho set a $398.00 price target on AON in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AON in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup raised their target price on AON from $402.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $408.00 price target on shares of AON in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AON currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $409.75.

AON Profile

Aon plc is a global professional services firm that provides a broad suite of risk, retirement and health solutions to corporations, institutions and individuals. The company operates primarily as an insurance broker and risk adviser, helping clients identify, quantify and transfer risk across property, casualty, cyber and other areas. Aon also offers reinsurance brokerage and capital market solutions that connect insurers, reinsurers and corporate buyers.

In addition to traditional brokerage activities, Aon delivers consulting and outsourcing services in areas such as human capital, benefits, and retirement plan design and administration.